Tap or other valve



(No Medel.)

W. H. FOSS. TAP 0R OTHER VALVE.

Patented Apr. 7, 1896.

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ANDREW BGRANAM.PHOTCUTHO-WASINGTONRC. I

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'VILLIAM H, FOSS, OF SYRAOUSE, NEW YORK.

TAP OR OTHER VALVE.

SPECIFICATION forming part Of Letters Patent N0. 558,020, dated April'7, 1896.

Application tiled October 1S, 1894. Serial No. 526,301. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM H. Foss, a citizen of the United States,residing at Syracuse, in the county of Onondaga and State of New York,have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Taps and otherValves, of which the following is a speciiication.

This invention relates to taps and other valves, and particularly totaps or faucets for withdrawing liquids, such as beer, ale, and thelike, from casks or other receptacles.

Heretofore one such tap has consisted of a thimble screwing into thehead of the cask,and a barrel screwing into this thimble and havingconcentric screw-threads and a valve-seat on its inner end, the smallerand inner-screwthread engaging the screwthreaded end of a plug actingagainst said seat to close the valve, and the larger and outerscrew-thread receiving a similarly-screw-threaded shank of a tubularkey, the end of which, by engaging a groove in the plug, screwed thelatter to the open position simultaneously with the inward screwing ofthe key and to the closed position as the key was unscrewed. Such aconstruction is shown in the application of Louis Crabtree, iiledJanuary 22, 1894, Serial No. 497,737, with which my present improvementsare particularly advantageous of employment. In such devices thedifference in diameter between the inner screw-threads of the barrel orcylinder and the consequent dierence in size of the screws necessary togive the same speed of movement to the key and plug and to bring the endof the former exactly into coincidence with the notch of the latter asit takes its screw-thread require the exercise of muchiine workmanshipin the construction of the parts; and it is found that when liquids areunder heavy pressure there is a considerable leakage prior to thecompletion of the opening or the closing operation.

My present improvements are designed to avoid these objections and toimprove the construction and operation of the tap or valve.

To this end, according to one feature of the invention, I construct thecylinder or barrel of the valve with a single or like screw-thread forboth the plug and key, preferably tapping this thread at one operation`and with one tool, and I provide a packing between the myinvention asapplied toa beer-tap, Figure 1 is an axial section of the barrel orcylinder alone. Fig. 2 is a like section of the thimble therefor. Fig. 3is a like section of the key. Fig. 4 is a side elevation of the plug.Fig. 5 is a front elevation of the tap, showing a fragment of the headof a barrel. Fig. G is a vertical axial section thereof, showing the tapin the closed position. Fig. 7 is a similar view showing the tap in theopen position, and Fig. 8 is a similar view showing a modification.

. Referring to the drawings, let A indicate the thimble; B, the cylinderor barrel; C, the plug; D, the key; E, a fragment of the head of a cask,and F a stopper or cover` As heretofore, the thimble Ahas an externalscrew-thread d screwing into a hole b in the head E, an inner end cabutting against a shoulder d in said head, a flange e on its fronthaving screw notches or holes f to permit of turning the thimble andhaving an inner face engaging a shoulder g in the head E, and a flatouter face which, when the thimble is screwed home, lies within a recessh in said head. Internally the thimble is traversed by a screw-threadt', which according to one feature of my improvements is a double ormultiple thread.

The head E is bored with the recess h, shoulder g, socket b, shoulder d,and reduced concentric hole j, extending from the latter shoulder to theinner side of the head, which hole is of less diameter than the innerdiameter of the screw-thread t', so that the shoul der b extendsinwardly of the inner edge of the thimble, as heretofore.

The cylinder B has a flat external flange l, having screw-notches m,flat front and rear faces, and corresponding in size with the iiange eof the thimble, against which it moves when the thimble and cylinder arescrewed together. Immediately at the inner side of this flange thecylinder has 4the usual screw-threaded portion n, terminating in ashoulder o, which portion is of `.sufficient IOO length to screw intoand slightly through the thimble A and engage the shoulder d of the headE when the tap is applied to the Cask as usual. According to myinvention the screwthread on the portion n is a double or multiplethread corresponding to the screw-thread 'i on the inner sides of thethimble. From the shoulder o inwardly the cylinder preferably has asmooth cylindrical portion p of slightly less diameter than the hole jthrough the head, projecting through this hole and at its inner endhaving a flat or otherwise suitably formed valve-seat q.

According toone feature of my improvement the cylinder'B is constructedinternally with outer screw-thread r and inner screwthread s, bothidentical in diameter and pitch, and preferably both forming part of asingle screw-thread tapped entirely through the interior of thecylinder, and according to another feature the cylinder is provided withan internal cylindrical packing-surface t, preferably in the form of agroove, the front and rear walls of which form lateral shoulders at thesides of the surface, and a suitable packing-ring G is provided at thissurface adapted to embrace it and a corresponding surface on the key D.The plug C is of usual construction, having an external screw-threadedstem u fitting and entering the inner end of the screw-thread s of thecylinder, which'stem is traversed by a wide key groove or slot n, andcarries at its inner end a square or otherwise suitably formed head w,which, when the stem is screwed home in the cylinder, engages the seat qthereof and makes a tight closure therewith. When the stem is screwedout, the ducts or notches fu c pass beyond the seat, thus openingcommunication to the inner end of the cylinder.

The keyD is, in general, of usual construction, having a tubularinterior Il, any suitable disch arge end I, an extern al flange J,embracing the flange l of the thimble when the key is screwed hometherein, an outer screwthread K, fitting and entering the thread r ofthe cylinder, corresponding in length to the length of such thread andterminating in a shoulder L, from which shoulder, according to myinvention, the key is constructed with a cylindrical or slightly-taperedpacking-surface M, beyond which it has a strainer-neck N anda squaredhead P, which latter fits and enters the notch n of the plug C. Vhen thekey is applied to the cylinder, its inner end is passed within thepacking G, its surface M slides through the interior of the packing,making a tight fit, until its head P abuts against the inner end of theplug C, at which time its shoulder L is in close proximity to the frontface of the flange of the thimble. The key is then rotated until itshead is in line with the notch t, at which time the starting-point ofits thread has made and coincides with the starting-point of the screw rand permits the two threads to be brought into engagement. The inwardpush bringing the threads together moves the head into the notch,whereupon as the key is turned and its thread K ts in on the thread r itwill simultaneously turn the plug C, unscrewing its thread Lt from thethread s at the same speed at which it is itself screwed in. f Duringthe inward movement of the key, from the time its surface M enters thepacking-ring G until the opening operation is completed, there is atight joint formed by the packing-ring between the key and cylinder, sothat no leakage occurs. When the key is screwed completely in, itsshoulder L embraces the outer edge of the packing-washer G, andcompresses the latter between such shoulder and the opposing shoulder ofthe groove t, thus tightly compressing the packing-ring between thepacking-surfaces. i

In the operation of closing the valve the surface M does not leave theinterior of the packing-ring until the plug C is tightly closed, atwhich time the threads K and r are in position for disengaging, when thekey can be withdrawn by an outward pull sufficient to overcome thefrictional engagement between the inner end of its packing-surface andthe packing-ring G.

The packing-ring G may be of any suitable material or desirable shape,and may be stationarily disposed on either member and adapted to actagainst a packing-surface on the other. For this purpose it is best toconstruct the member carrying the ring with a groove fitting the latter,and the member moving relatively to the ring with an elongated surface,cylindrical or slightly tapered, equaling in length the distance of therelative movement of the parts, and permitting the rotation of onerelatively to the other. In the construction shown in Figs. l to 7,inclusive, the member carrying the packing-ring is the barrel orcylinder and the member moving relatively to it the key. An oppositearrangement is shown in Fig. 8, in which the key (leftered D) carriesthe packing (lettered G) in a groove (lettered t) near the forward endof the key, and the cylinder (lettered B) has a cylindrical surface(lettered M) terminating in a shoulder, (lettered L,) over which surfacethe packing slides and rotates as the key is passed into or out of thecylinder. The screwthreads (lettered r and s) are in this instanceidentical in diameter and pitch, but are tapped from opposite ends ofthe cylinder because of the intervening surface M.

Another feature of my invention consists in providing a detachable coverF for closing the open end of the cylinder B when the key is removedfrom the latter. As shown, this consists of a cork 00, iittin g thescrew-threaded aperture r in the end of the cylinder, and carried by acover or plate pivoted on a pin y and swinging from a position in frontof the cylinder to one away therefrom. To removably attach the cover, Iprovide a flat ring-like piece y', fitting over the portion n of thecylinder and clamped between the flange IOO IIO

h of the latter and the flange e'of the thimble A when these parts arescrewed together, which piece 'y' has an outwardly-bent arm z, passingout through one of the screw-notches m of the iiange Z, and having atits outer end an eye z', embracing the pivotal pin yy of the cover x.

In operation the tap is applied to a barrel or cask with the plug Cclosed, and the cover F is turned With its cork a: against the front ofthe cylinder until the tap is to be opened, When the cover is turnedaway from the cylinder, exposing it to the entrance of the key. Then thekey D is employed and a suitable provision is made for conveying thedischarge from the cask to any desired point. The key may be applied toopen the tap at any time and may be removed therefrom at any time, theoperation of removing it always closing the tap. During these operationsthe Washer G Will prevent any leakage.

It Will be seen that my invention provides improvements in taps and likevalves Which can be readily availed of and Which reduce the cost andimprove the operation of such devices; and it will be understood thatthe invention is not limited to the particulandetails of constructionand arrangement set forth as constituting its preferred form, sincethese may be modified as circumstances or the judgment of those skilledin the art may dictate Without departing from the spirit of theinvention.

Vhat I claim is- A tap consisting of a hollow cylinder, an annularrecess located in the interior of said cylinder, the bore of saidcylinder vexcepting said recess being uniform throughout, a threadlocated in said cylinder on each side of the said recess, a Washerlocated in said recess, the inner periphery of the Washer eX- tendingbeyond the surface of the bore of the cylinder, a plug located in theinner end of said cylinder, a key located in the outer end of thecylinder, said key having a cylindrical section adapted to slidelongitudinally Within said Washer, in so doing said cylindrical sectioncoming in close contact With the said Washer along its entire length,said key having a thread just forward of the said cylindrical section,said thread adapted to engage the thread in the outer part of thecylinder, the inner end of said key adapted to operate the plug and thusopen and close the tap, as set forth.

In Witness whereof I have hereunto signed my name in the presence of tWosubscribing witnesses.

WILLIAM H. FOSS. lVitnesses GEORGE H. FRASER, THoMAs F. WALLACE.

